Caroline Andrews, a graduating senior at Bentley University, has been our intern for the past year covering all aspects of our growing social media presence. Prior to starting a full time position at Epsilon, we thought it only appropriate to chat with her about her past year at Compass Marketing and what advice she might have for her followers.
What was your biggest surprise when starting this internship?
Despite having worked three professional social media roles prior to becoming a Compass Marketing intern, I was surprised by the learning curve I experienced to become successful in this position. The professional development I received from interning at Compass Marketing has become influential in my career as a student and future marketer.
When I first started the role, I viewed social media and other outbound engagements as necessary ways to tell people about what we do. I quickly learned, however, that it was much more than that. Through this internship, I began to view social media as an art and as an opportunity to bring life to our brand's identity.
The attention to detail from the Compass team regarding every creative choice from words, images, captions, and colors is admirable. I’ve come to appreciate the power of a Brand Guide and its ability to create a singular brand voice with which to speak to the consumer. My work has motivated me to develop a branding kit for a department I’m heavily involved in on campus.
I’ve learned that social media can be really powerful, when you do it right.
As I grew to better understand the ins-and-outs of who we are as a brand and what we aim to do, I was able to leverage my own creativity with the help and support from the Compass team. I had the opportunity to create a video campaign, design trend reports, produce graphic campaigns, and generate leads by experimenting with landing pages, among various other projects. Tracking the success of these marketing efforts has been fascinating, because I’m able to see what draws people in and what doesn’t. This data then directs me on how I should steer the brand's social media efforts moving forward.
What is some advice that you would share with fellow marketing students and our next intern?
For marketing students I have two pieces of advice: know your interest and find your impact.
Know your interest.
I consider there to be two types of marketers: analytics and creatives. Although both go hand in hand, the two combined don’t always suit the same person. It took me a while to learn that I can thrive in marketing as a primarily creative person. I like understanding the performance of marketing initiatives, but I love using that information to artistically create something more effective. Knowing this interest has guided me in deciding what tasks I want to pursue whether it’s for Compass, class, or student organizations.
So ask yourself; why did I choose marketing?
My hope for you is that once you know the answer to that question, you’ll have a better idea of what opportunities to seek in order to fulfill the interests of your most authentic self.
Find your impact.
Since Compass focuses on discovering and delivering health and wellness innovations to consumers, it was easy to identify the impact of my outreach efforts. I had my moment of impact click when I was doing a competitive analysis for our client, Defibrio, an automated external defibrillator powered by the energy in a smartphone.
During the research phase, I didn’t think much about my work's impact and continued to tediously research AED brands (with many coffee breaks). The moment of impact hit when I had the opportunity to attend a focus group and listen to strangers who were predisposed to sudden cardiac arrest or who were living with a loved one who was. Listening to these individuals made me realize the importance of having Defibrio in the market, for the sake of actual lives being saved. I was grateful then for having the chance to play even just a small role in the growth of this amazing company.
So ask yourself; what greater impact does the work that I am doing provide?
My hope is that once you discover your impact, motivation will come easily, even during more difficult times.
For the future intern, my advice would be to understand the Compass Marketing brand inside and out. First, start with the Brand Guide, then wrap your arms around existing outreach efforts, and only then thoughtfully experiment with new ideas (but don't be afraid to do so!). Once you know what type of content provides the most value to our network, build upon it and don’t be afraid to get creative. Think about what you think people should know and what those people want to know and find a way to combine the two.
Organization is key! Your content calendar will become your Holy Grail, so spend time maintaining it and arrange it to best suit how you think and work.
Are you going to keep working in marketing?
I am pleased to say that I will be continuing in marketing as a full-time Associate Account Executive at Epsilon through their New Grad Program starting this June. Within this position, I will be supporting an account team in executing marketing campaigns and initiatives for the client. It’s the perfect role to step into as a recent graduate and I feel excited and prepared, largely thanks to the knowledge I have gained as intern at Compass Marketing.
We congratulate Caroline on her recent graduation and are delighted that she has decided to further pursue marketing as a career. She will be a true asset to her new team. Undoubtedly, she has taken our social media efforts to the next level. We are grateful to have worked with her this past year and want her to know that she will be missed.
We wish Caroline all the best in the future and look forward to her further using her creative talents to make an impact in this world.
Annette is skilled at identifying growth opportunities and successfully guiding products from concept to launch. At Compass, she advises leading brands and category disruptors in the health & wellness, personal care and digital health sectors.
See All Works
.svg)
